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Tempestus Valley
Tempestus Valley is a strip of land located in the southern Storm Peaks, Northrend. The region was the site of two major battles between forces of the Argent Crusade and Scourge, both during and after the War against the Lich King. Geography Surrounded by large mountains on all sides of the valley, the region of Tempestus Valley is a harsh and brutal area. Located within the southern Storm Peaks, the Valley is covered in thick ancient pine forests that stretch from end to end of the region. From the far end of the valley stretches a river that comes down the center of the valley towards the middle of the region before cutting south and draining into a massive lake. The valley is filled with a variety of wildlife, including dififerent types of birds, wolves, elk, hares, and over two dozen species of fish. The terrain within the valley itself is hilly and uneven, even if the climate was good for farming, the general topography of the land would have made it incredibly difficult to farm the region. History Pre-Scourge Not much is known of the Valley's inhabitants or any settlements that may or may not have existed before the Scourge's take over of the area. Expeditions into the valley by the Argent Crusade, following the War against the Lich King, have discovered remains villages of human or vrykul like origin under layers of snow and rock, and are estimated to be dating back to a few thousand years before the current date. Scourge Occupation The 'Occupation' of the Valley happened during the initial expansion of the Scourge around Northrend under the Lich King, like many other fortresses constructed by the Scourge during this era, Scourge siege-engineers had the materials brought, and using slave labor, constructed a two tiered fortress spanning at the far end of the Valley, with one lower wall, followed by a higher up wall, followed then by the main citadel. The fortress, named Brittle Bone Keep, follows general Scourge architecture, and looks like those found in Icecrown, like the Shadow Vault. War Against the Lich King With the initial invasion of Northrend by forces of the Alliance, Horde, Argent Crusade and Ebon Blade, the War against the Lich King was kicked off. It was not until the last five months of the war when Argent forces began an assault on the valley. A force of Argents and mercenaries were gathered for the battle and numbered one thousand five hundred soldiers, assisted by around one hundred fifty civilians who acted as support, from doctors to foresters, to engineers. The Argent force was split into three companies, the Argent Bulwark. B-Company, and T-Company. The Bulwark was led by Gilmer Niel, B-Company, by Charles Reynolds, and T-Company by Shylah Elvia. The Bulwark and T-Company each had three hundred fifty soldiers, and B-Company had three hundred men. The mercenaries who answered the call were from across Azeroth and led by the most competant amongst them, Commander Karl Dekner. On the opposite side was the Scourge, led by Belric Legost, and his underling Fargul Nerok. The true number of there force is unknown, but it was predicted and estimated that they had anywhere from ten thousand to thirty-five thousand soldiers. Deploying into the region the Crusade and mercenary force set up a massive tent city at the entrance of the valley. Around their tent city was a massive series of trenches, with spikes dug into small pits past the trench line for defense. The Crusade and mercenaries manned the trenches twenty four hours a day. Settlement Following the end of the War against the Lich King and the battle in Tempestus Valley, in an attempt to keep an eye on the area, a small garrison was set up in the center of the valley. Named Gavin's Fall after Commander Gavin Malcolm, an Argent who perished during the War, the settlement grew from a force of fifty soldiers to around two hundred fifty over the course of three months, with civilians from across the Argent territory moving to the valley. The garrison and village mostly relied on supply caravans, but also survived off the local fauna, from fish in the large lake to the south, to elk, and wolves. The force of soldiers became known as the Watchers, and were tasked with ensuring the Scourge never expanded into the valley ever again. Recent With recent Cult of the Damned movements in Northrend again for seemingly unknown reasons, the Argent Crusade tasked the Argent Bulwark with the job of clearing out this thread. The Crusaders, assisted at times by allies, spent over two months clearing Scourge and Cult locations across Northrend, from Howling Fjord to the Dragonblight, always vigilant about where this thread originated from. After attacked and bringing about the destruction of a minor necropolis, Maraxilan they discovered the threat originated from Tempestus Valley. Second Battle of Tempestus Valley On the evening of June 21st, the final troops in the First Tempestus Task Force arrived at the scene, those including soldiers in the "Death's Jaw Pass Protectors" and the forces of the Argent Bulwark. Commander Charles Reynolds of B-Company of the Argent Crusade turned over command of the Task Force to Lord Commander Lantos Swiftsong. By the afternoon of the 22nd the entire Task Force had been redeployed into a smaller area near Death's Jaw, allowing for less of their small forces to be spread out across the entire valley. By the evening, Lantos summoned together his own troops and those of The Highguard (under Aeriyth, not Varian's royal guards) who had been sent to assist and he began briefing them on the night's mission. To begin a full on assault on Brittle Bone Keep, it was required that the town of Gavin's Fall was retaken from the Scourge. With that it ment the soldiers of the Bulwark needed to gather information on the surrounding area to find the best route of attack. With the briefing over and the soldiers ordered to grab their gear, the snow picked up, going from a light furry to a harsh snowstorm. After a few more minutes, the entire line of Argents was bombared by Scourge Artillery, it lasted for around fifteen minutes and once it went silent, the Crusaders had a few minutes to lick their wounds before a large force of Scourge attacked the Crusader's along their entire frontline, with a large Flesh Giant, one of three Belric had, leading the attack on the center of the Camp, where the Bulwark was. With the help of a healer from the Highguard and Warlord Naza. the Crusaders were able to eventually destroy the Flesh Giant and decimate the entire force of Scourge that had assaulted them in their sector of the frontlines. Points of Interest Brittle Bone Keep Seated at the far end of the valley sits the massive Scourge fortress of Brittle Bone Keep, constructed out of saronite, the citadel is two tiered, with a lower wall that surrounds the entire exterior of the building and raises up twenty five. Behind this lower wall sits an interior wall that sits atop a hill and rises up forty feet. Beyond that wall sits the citadel itself. Jutting into the air, the citadel rises up and towers over the two walls and can be seen, in clear weather, hundreds of feet away. Scourge architecture is reflected well in this fortress, the walls are covered in spikes, and even the massive gates that are seen on both walls and the citadel itself are covered in spikes. Gavin's Fall Fallen Crusader Monument Sitting leagues from the entrence of the valley, nestled between two hills, the Fallen Crusader Monument was built to remember all those who died in the First and subsequently Second Battle of Tempestus Valley. Ingame Locations Light's Trust - To represent the main Argent Crusade base camp and the trenches that the Crusade Taskforce has dug. Winterguard Village - To represent the destroyed settlement of Gavin's Fall Icecrown Citadel / The Shadow Vault - To represent the Scourge fortress of Brittle Bone Keep. Other Points within Dragonblight - To represent various points in the valley, terrain wise. Points within Storm Peaks - To represent various points in the valley, terrain wise. Valleys.jpg Tempestus 3.jpeg Tempestus 2.png Tempestus 4.jpg Winter Village.jpg|Gavin's Fall - Post Destruction Tempestus 5.jpg Category:Places Category:Undead Scourge Category:Argent Crusade Category:Argent Bulwark Category:Valleys Category:Forests Category:Tempestus Valley Locations Category:Storm Peaks Locations